Receptacle for clothing.



No. 6421375. Patented Jan. 30, I900. S. W. BONSALL.

RECEPTACLE FDR CLOTHING.

(Application filed May 4. 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

ATTOR WITNESSES THE Norms PEYERS cov PHQTOUYHD, WASNWGTQN. n. c,

. rrrrnn STATES PATENT QFFICE.

SEYMOUR \V. BONSALL, OF NE? YORK, N. Y.

RECEPTACLE FOR CLOTHING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,075, dated January 30, 1900. Application filed May 4,1899. Serial No. 715,500. (No model.)

To all 2072 0771, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SEYMOUR W. BoNsALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Receptacles for Clothing, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has relation to an improved means for packing articles of clothing and the like, whether in movable receptacles, such as traveling-trunks, or in stationary wardrobes; and it constitutes an improvement upon the invention disclosed by me in my Letters Patent for a dress-skirt and wardrobe trunk, dated May 17, 1898, and numbered 604:,346.

The principal object of my present invention is the provision of means whereby clothing may be quickly and conveniently packed within a minimum space,while affording complete security and immobility for the same when packed.

My present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the form of trunk shown in Fig. 1 of the Letters Patent aforesaid, but showing my improved racksupport applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of said trunk when closed, the same being filled and the clothes being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a portion of my rack as combined in practice with my improved support and retaining means, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the means whereby the improved rack-support is mounted upon the parallel rods of my sliding rack.

In my Letters Patent aforesaid I described an improved form of sliding rack'as applied to traveling-trunks and wardrobes,which rack is adapted to be pulled forward, so as to bring into easy accessibility the garments supportd thereby. As described in the Letters Patent aforesaid, this rack is provided with an outer support, hinged or otherwise fastened permanently to the outer extremity of said rack. When the rack is pushed back, tapes are used for fastening the garments in place.

In the preferred form of my present improved rack and support the top of the support is not permanently secured in any way to the outer end of the rack, but is adapted to move back and forth independently of any movement of said rack. I have shown this in the accompanying drawings as applied to a trunk 1, having a double cover 2, opening in two directions.

As in my patent aforesaid the rack 3 preferably slides in an appropriate support within the trunk and is provided with two parallel rods 4, upon which the hangers 5 for the clothes are adapted to rest. While I have shown my broad invention as used with a sliding rack and have claimed this combination in my less generic claims, it will be evident from what follows herein that my invention covers the retaining means as used in trunks o'r wardrobes, with or without the sliding rack. V

The gist of my present invention lies in providing a retaining or confining member, sup ported by and sliding upon one or more horizontal rods, which latter may be gripped by the Wedging action of the socket joining such rod or rods and said retaining or confining means. As shown in the drawings and hereinafter described, the rods employed are those upon which the clothing to be packed or confined is supported; but my invention covers the above-named combination, whether the horizontal rods in question be or be not identical with the supporting-rods 4.

I prefer to use two rods 4 and a retaining member carried by both, as shown; and I prefer, as shown further, to utilize the outer support for the rack shown in my patent aforesaid as the retaining means. The retaining member itself preferably consists of two legs or side bars 6, joined by appropriate crosspieces 7 3 but a retaining member consisting of but a single bar 6 and sliding upon a single rod would be within my invention. At the top of each side bar or leg 6 I provide a form of mounting whereby the legs are hung upon the parallel rods 4 in a manner to permit of the legs sliding back and forth upon said rods 4. This mounting preferably takes the form shown in Fig. 4, wherein a wire socket is attached to the top of the leg 6, said socket comprising two parts 8 and 9, looped over the rod 4:. These parts may be made in one piece or in two pieces, as desired.

As shown in the drawings, two different shapes of bent wire are shown as employed for the socket 8 9; but it will be readily u11- derstood that many shapes may be given to these wires without departing from the spirit of my present invention.

-In my preferred form of socket the forward part 9 is sufficiently prolonged above the other part, so that as the legs 6 hang naturally the center of gravity may come under the bearing-point of the part 8 without the loop of the part 9 coming in contact with the top of the rod 4. The part8 is placed nearest the rear of the trunk or wardrobe in which it is used, and the consequence is that the natural tendency of the legs 6 as they hang free is to incline toward the rear of the trunk or wardrobe. use in this connection, so that this natural inclination toward the rear is secured, although it is to be understood that this feature of my invention is not a vital one.

It is to' be understood that my invention covers every form of socket which will permit the retaining member to slide along its rod, whether made of wire or otherwise. In the form of socket shown the part 9 serves merely to prevent the legs 6 from being inclined too far back when used.

The method of use of my improvement is as follows: In packing a trunk, for instance, where a sliding rack is combined with the retaining means said rack 3 is drawn forward, as shown in Fig. 1, and the garments to be packed are hung upon appropriate hangers, as 5, which are then slid into place upon the rods 4, one behind the other. The legs 6 being drawn fully forward, the garments are far enough apart to give plenty of room for easy insertion of the'hangers. After hanging the garments thus they are folded along the proper lines or they may be folded before hanging. It is then only necessary to grasp the legs 6 near the top and slide the sockets 8 9 backward alongthe rods 4 until the garments have been compressed as firmly as may be desired. If the rack 3 is used, this backward pressure will produce movement as well oftherackasoftheretainingmember. Upon releasing the legs 6 the lower parts of the garments will naturally exert a superior outward pressure, both owing to increased leverage eflect. and because the bottoms of skirts and the like are fuller than the tops. The bars 6 will thus be tipped outward and the rods 4 will be firmly gripped, so as to prevent any possibility of said sockets slipping for-' ward along said rods and releasing the pressure exerted upon the yielding garments. This gripping action is accomplished by the forward edge 10 of the top of each leg or bar 6 pressing upward against the underside of its rod 4, while the top of the wire loop 8 exerts a corresponding downward pressure upon the.

rod. It will be seen that the greater the initial compression to which the garments are subjected the more strongly will the legs 6 be pressed outward at the bottom and the tighter will be the hold of the sockets on the rods 4.

While the tapes shown in my patent afore- I prefer to make any socket which I said may, if desired, be employed in connec tion with my improved fastening rack-sup port, it will be seen that in most instances this will not be necessary.

By balancing my rack-support 6 as shown in Fig. 4, so that only one part of the socket touches the rods when the support hangs free, I achieve two advantages. In the first place the friction to be overcome in pushing the support back when the clothes are packed is a minimum, and in the second place when the outward pressure of the garments tilts for ward the lower portion of the rack-support said support is brought into a substantially vertical position. The advantage of this last feature is seen in Fig. 2, wherein the trunk is represented as completely filled by the gar= ments hanging on the rack 3. By bringing the gripping action of the socket to bear before or when the supports 6 reach the vertical position, said supports cannot be tilted out so far as to interfere with the closing of the covers 2 3 even when the trunk is packed full. This advantage exists whatever the style of door or cover used on the receptacle in which my invention is used.

In removing the garments from my improved rack, one has only to draw out the rack 4 and the pressure on the garments is released. This makes it easy to draw the legs forward again, when the garments may be reached in dependently. Where my invention is em-' ployed without the rack 4, the pressure of the retaining member is released by simply pressing inward the lower end thereof and drawing the sockets forward. Many changes may be made in the construc= tion herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting my self to the details as set forth herein.

What I claim is- 1. In a receptacle for garments and the like, a substantially horizontal rod, a retaining-bar free at its lower end and a socket attached to said bar, said socket being made in two parts, one of which acts permanently to support the bar and the other to prevent excessive swing inward thereof.

2. In a receptacle for garments and the like, a substantially horizontal rod, a retaining-bar having its top beneath said horizontal rod, a socket attached to said bar and adapted to slide on said rod, said socket being so placed that the rod is wedged between said socket and the top of said bar when the latter is pressed forward at the bottom.

3. In a receptacle for garmentsand the like, a pair of substantially horizontal rods, a frame depending therefrom, and two sockets at tached to the sides of said frame, said sockets being adapted to slide on said rods and togrip the latter when the bottom portion of said frame is pressed forward.

4. In a receptacle for garments and the like, a sliding rack having side rods, and a confining-frame sliding on said rods and adapted to serve as a support for said rack when the latsaid sockets acting to grip said rods when the ter is drawn out. lower part of said frame is pressed outward,

5. In a receptacle for garments and the like, a sliding rack having side rods, a confining- 5 frame, and sockets on said frame adapted to Witnesses:

slide on said rods, said frame being hung so FREDERICK W. LONGFELLOW, as to incline inward when unconfined, and HAROLD S. MACKAYE;

SEYMOUR W. BONSALL. 

